Su-37 Terminator
A quasi-3rd-generation (2.5th Generation in western terminology) Tactical Surface Fighter created by Sufoni upgrading the 2nd-generation Su-27 Zhuravlik to 3rd-generation specifications, the Su-37 is a high-performance, multi-role, and highly adaptable TSF with powerful close-combat and mobility capabilities. History The Su-37 Terminator, being a US-assisted development of the Su-27, uses a NATO-given name rather than a Soviet name. Intended to be a massive improvement over the Su-27 especially in operation uptime and combat ability, the Su-37, first and foremost, features an improved close-combat design, with an increased number of carbon blade vanes on its shoulder block as well as improved sharpened carbon edges on its knee block, shoulders, and leg armor sections. Perhaps a unique innovation made to the Su-37 is the inclusion of frontal-facing thrusters on its waist armor pieces; while its jump units lose the capability to swing forward due to their construction, the thrusters use a different method of generating reverse force, allowing the Su-37 to quickly change directions in the heat of combat. The system is considered both reliable and easy to maintain by technicians who have worked on the TSF. Despite its immense combat strength, variants featuring improved aspects are already well into production. Deployment The Terminator is largely a testbed for various Soviet strategies and technology and few, if any Terminators are deployed in actual combat roles. So far, only two Terminators have known deployment. A Su-37UB of the 331st Special Experimental Development Squadron was attached to the United Nation's Project PROMINENCE as part of Idar Test Flight to test double-pilot combat tactics and gather performance data, and Su-37M2s have been assigned to frontline combatants and other experimental units for use as high-performance TSFs. Su-37UB Terminator A two-seater model, the Su-37UB takes a leaf from the operational records of the USA's F-14 and F-18 TSFs, with the ultimate goal of having two pilots being to reduce combat-related mental and physical stress by sharing the load. One Su-37UB, stationed at the UN's Yukon Base under the banner of Project PROMINENCE, is operated by the Scarlet Sisters ''Inia Sestina and Cryska Barchenowa of Idar Test Flight, a pair of Soviet pilots famous at the base for the excellent chemistry of their relationship and their near-flawless combat records. At Yukon, the twins demostrated the superior maneuverability of the Su-37UB compared to the F-15E and F-15ACTV; the Su-37UB later performed flawlessly against BETA forces during their assignment to the Kamchatka Peninsula. Upon their return, the Su-37UB's exemplary combat record was put to the test, with Idar Test Flight easily annihilating all opposition due to the ''Scarlet Sisters' abilities; even insurgent F-16Cs and a BETA attack failed to inflict any significant damage, with the Su-37UB stalled in combat only by a Type-00F. Jerzy Sandek, Idar Test Flight's commander, later operated an Su-37UB in test combat after the flight was assigned an Su-47E for testing and evaluation. Despite Sandek's skills, the Su-37UB was overpowered and soundly defeated in close-range combat. Su-37M2 Terminator The Su-37M2 differs from the base Su-37 in many ways; while it is still a single-seat TSF, it features improved fire control capabilities, more precise close-combat controls, as well as improved sensors housed in its head unit. The Su-37M2 is also used by the Soviet Union to study development of TSF technology in order to create their own third-generation TSF. One Su-37M2 is used by Lt. Colonel Fikatsia Latrova, commander of the Zhar Battalion, and another by her second-in-command Nastassja Ivanova during Project PROMINENCE's tenure on the Kamchatka Peninsula as part of a joint UN-Soviet combat performance evaluation operation. Su-37M2s were also assigned to Idar Test Flight's other members to allow them to keep up with the Su-37UB's performance in flight and combat maneuvers. Trivia *In real life, the Su-37 is a single-variant concept and testing aircraft; only two were produced, with no UB or M variant. It was eventually succeeded by the Su-35, its production version, which did have a 2-seater Su-35UB variant. Appearances Su-37UB Terminator anime ver.png|Su-37UB as it appears in the Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse anime. Gallery Arm blades.png|Su-37UB with Blade Motors deployed. mother russia and her peoples.png|Su-37M2 in flight, followed by several Su-27SMs. 008.jpg|Lineart Category:TSF Category:Total Eclipse Category:TSFIA